Europees Parlement

Theresa May has been told she will have to guarantee a reciprocal deal for eastern Europeans if she wants Britons to have the chance to individually apply for EU rights such as freedom of movement after the UK leaves the bloc.

Diplomats and senior politicians from eastern European states said they would only support a plan to allow British citizens to apply for EU membership benefits if the UK offered their citizens the chance to apply for similar rights from the British government.

The Dutch MEP Hans van Baalen, the president of the liberal pan-European ALDE group, which counts seven sitting prime ministers as members, told the Guardian he hoped the idea would be taken seriously by Barnier. “I have received correspondence from thousands of affected citizens about this idea, and so hope that when it is raised it will be treated with an open mind,” he said.

“We urge the negotiating parties to pursue a prudent and pragmatic approach so that a balanced deal for both the EU and the UK can be reached that does not introduce any unnecessary barriers to trade and mobility and which ensures that a strong partnership remains post-Brexit.”